IV. The Evaluation of a “Body-Building” Program Utilizing a Bicycle Ergometer Test

In an effort to improve the fitness of youths, extensive "body building," "conditioning," or "toughening" programs have been advised and developed. Unfortunately little has been done to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. Our experience with the testing of athletes2' 4 strengthened our belief that in order significantly to increase fitness a body-building program would have to be strenuous and would have to have an ever-increasing pace. The very unfit might be benefited by mild exercise, but boys in fairly good condition have to be given hard work if one expects to improve their fitness to do hard work. It is advised, however, that such programs be under experienced and careful guidance, that the medical and nutritional needs of the trainees be supervised, and that, whenever possible, the work be varied from group to group according to each group's relative fitness. The present report describes an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of a body-building program by comparing bicycle ergometer tests given at the beginning and at the end of that program. Method